“The first time he met my family was at a Passover seder.”

“It was my second time doing anything “Jewish-y.” The first time, I was in secondary five. My english teacher was very into Montreal Jewish culture. He had us learn Hava Nagila, and at the beginning of each class, we would have to sing the song before doing anything else. I know all the words to this day.”

“Keep in mind, he is from rural Victoria; no one Jewish lives there.”

“Let me get back to my story! So this was all in preparation for a day trip we took to Montreal, where we went to J&R Kosher at Cavendish Mall. First we learnt how they package and process the meat, and the special prayers they would do. Once that was over, my class went outside the store and sang Hava Nagila to people walking by. I thought to myself, “here you have these Fresh Canadian kids from Victoriaville, coming to J&R Kosher to sing a Hebrew song… people had to have been amused!” That was my first real Jewish experience, and now Hava Nagila has become my song at any Jewish event.”

Category: People